[joyfull]

As you will be taking it down with a bow saw - the sawing motion will make you rock so do use a rope to secure you to the tree and do secure your ladder. Also do still wear P.P.E. at all times - safety hat, goggles or full face mask, gloves and boots.
First make the gob cut on the side you want it to fall - this gob cut should be about a third of the way through the trunk/branch. The gob should be flat on the bottom.

[Sideways]

Drill some 25mm dia holes in the top of the remaining trunk and fill with SBK. Cover the trunk with plastic or other waterproof material. Trunk and root's will be killed.

FC, thanks, what is SBK?

Found it, thanks.

[Sideways]

As you will be taking it down with a bow saw - the sawing motion will make you rock so do use a rope to secure you to the tree and do secure your ladder. Also do still wear P.P.E. at all times - safety hat, goggles or full face mask, gloves and boots.
First make the gob cut on the side you want it to fall - this gob cut should be about a third of the way through the trunk/branch. The gob should be flat on the bottom.

Will do.

[Caretaker]

Sorry no advise but would be great if you could take some pictures but don't know if you can put on this site, well good luck.
My soon to be son in law cut down a large branch of a tree two doors down, it crashed through two fences, cost him the replacement pannels.

[allot2learn]

Sorry no advise but would be great if you could take some pictures but don't know if you can put on this site, well good luck.
My soon to be son in law cut down a large branch of a tree two doors down, it crashed through two fences, cost him the replacement pannels.

Don't step back to take them..................   

[sootyfaestoney]

what a good post, ask for advice, get some terrific advice on technique, safety measures, consequences of mistakes and legal matters, and decide I will do it anyway 20ft up with one hand  whilst balanced on a ladder. I hope you reconsider and see if there is any way to get it done by a prof.
cheers

[jrko]

If you really must do it yourself then please please be careful.  Think before everything you do 'Is this action safe for me and others?'  I'll bore you with two other pieces of information and then bid you good luck with you endeavour

"...of the 1,285 workers who died while performing tree care and maintenance; 44% were trimming or pruning a tree when fatally injured. The most common causes of death were being struck by or against an object (42% of deaths), most commonly a tree or branch; falls to a lower level (34%)...."  These are professionally trained arboriculturalist at work.

From the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) "The most common accident in a garden is a fall (115,000), but the biggest threat to people actually gardening is a cut (19,000), then falls (18,000) and being struck by things (12,600)." http://www.rospa.com/faqs/detail.aspx?faq=222

Be safe

[Plot74]

I used to work off ladders all the time wich makes jobs harder to start with.
Think of when you use a saw you bend your back and are over the top of what you are cutting, on a ladder you can't do this making the job in hand twice as hard.
You can not put a cost on your well being .think hard before going ahead with this task as said by others get the pros in.they will have the job done in no time as it would probably take you a whole weekend or more. Stay safe.
John

[Caretaker]

We have had some tree proned down our road, they used a chain saw but it had a great long handle, still seems tricky.

[Spana]

We did much the same as you have planned, but my OH  has done a fair bit of tree felling  and still does for neighbours in exchange for the timber.  Please be careful.











I dont have pictures of the tops coming down because i was on the end of the rope pulling them into the field behind.

That was a couple of years ago, heres the stumps this morning



You wont believe how much there is to clear up from a job like this

[Sideways]

Many thanks all for your advice and concern.

Great pics Spana! I will use pieces of the trunk to make a seat too.

I went ahead and have almost completed the job, just around 12ft of stripped trunk left, I will need a chainsaw for this as it’s simply too thick to cut with a saw.

It was tough going at times and it took me around eight hours over two days. It turned out the pigeon was simply roosting in the tree, I didn’t find a nest before I began. I took my time and carefully cut short lengths, allowing them to fall into the garden. Every branch over an inch thick was stripped and cut into 9” lengths for the wood burner, I think I have chopped close to a ton of wood and now have a right arm like Popeye 

I’m not sure Id recommend everyone should try this, there were one or two hairy moments when the highest branches came down and if you’re not confident up a ladder I would think about calling in the professionals. My wife and I wore bike helmets, gloves and goggles and did our best to stay clear of falling branches.

Finally, it’s even better than we had hoped. There’s so much light coming into the garden now. I plan to plant a sweet cherry tree in memory of our fallen tree, only not so close to the house. And it will be a dwarf version.